The Yankees added two and lost two in this morning’s Rule 5 draft. They were only active in the Major League phase. They did not select anyone, and they did not lose anyone in the minor league rounds.

Fair warning, the guys they did add are not going to jump out as overly impressive additions. That’s the way it works in the Rule 5. It’s all about taking a chance on talent and finding a cheap role player. The Dan Uggla and Josh Hamilton success stories rarely happen, and even then they’re wildly unpredictable.

This morning, the Yankees added two pitchers.

Robert FishLeft handed
22 years old
A converted starter, 2010 was his first full season in the bullpen. The results were uninspiring with an 8.93 ERA and a .356 opponents batting average in Double-A. Baseball America notes that his fastball gets into the mid-90s, and as a former starter, it’s easy to imagine him as a second bullpen lefty with the ability to pitch multiple innings when necessary. He does have pretty good strikeout numbers, but clearly this pick wasn’t about the numbers.

Daniel TurpenRight handed
24 years old
A reliever throughout his career, Turpen doesn’t generate as many strikeouts as Fish, but he gets plenty of ground balls. My friend Donnie Collins writes that Turpen throws with a kind of side arm angle, and has a fastball with good sink. He doesn’t seem to be a typically overpowering, but one report Donnie cites compares his upside to David Weathers. If that plays out, the Yankees will surely be thrilled.